Many student athletes in the area know Line Drive Performance as the place to go to train with famed Miami Stingrays coach Gator Rebhan. Now, many adults are discovering that Line Drive Performance is the place to go to achieve their fitness goals as well.
Fitness trainer Matthew Valdes recently joined Line Drive Performance, located in The Falls warehouse district at 13080 SW 85 Ave. Rd., and is leading hour-long cross-training classes Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 12 noon. The classes combine cardio and strength training and are perfect for both beginners and seasoned athletes.
“I begin with a personal consultation to determine your goals and athleticism,” said Valdes. “Then, the fun begins.”
Valdes, who graduated from Killian High School in 2005, applies the principals he’s learned over the years as an athlete and trainer to help people achieve maximum results. Whether you want to lose weight, improve health and wellness, get physically fit, fight aging, gain lean muscle mass or train for an endurance event, the key, he says, is muscle confusion.
“It’s important to change your workout routine at least every two weeks,” said Valdes. “As you exercise, the body acclimates to the workout and switches to auto pilot. If you don’t change your workout, you’ll hit a plateau and you won’t see further changes in your body.”
Valdes refers to the classes as “personal training sessions at group class prices.” Depending on your fitness goals, sessions may include resistance training with a bungee and harness, strength training with weights and bands, and cardio with jump rope, medicine ball, jogging and sprint sessions, all in the comfort of an air-conditioned facility.
“I might have four people in the session all doing different exercises to accomplish their personal goals,” said Valdes.
Although adults are welcome to participate in the afternoon sessions from 3-8 p.m., this is when the area’s elite student athletes converge on Line Drive Performance to work on improving their game. The facility’s batting cages are filled with players and teams taking individual and group batting lessons. Valdes and Coach Rebhan work with athletes to improve their sports-specific abilities as well as overall strength, speed and agility.
“We focus on developing the fast twitch muscle fibers to help these athletes with their explosive movements – those first few steps out of the box or off the line,” said Valdes.
Valdes also counsels student and adult athletes on the benefits of proper nutrition and supplementation and says that this triple threat – proper workouts, nutrition and supplementation – is a home run that produces leaner, faster and stronger bodies.
Under the direction of Coach Rebhan, Line Drive Performance has helped produce some of the area’s top softball players, many of whom have gone on to play at Division 1 colleges. Current Stingrays players Dominique Grossman, a senior at Gulliver Prep, just committed to Georgia Southern University, and Kelsey Bogaards, a Palmetto High School senior, recently signed with Auburn University.
“With Gator, the workouts are intense and no session is ever the same,” said Grossman. “He is tough, but he knows his stuff and makes you a better athlete. I’m definitely tougher, stronger and quicker.”
“My goal is to see these kids get into Division 1 schools so they can continue to play ball and, most importantly, get a good education,” said Rebhan.
Whether you’re an elite athlete wanting to take your skills to the next level or someone striving to improve your health and fitness, Line Drive Performance has a training program that will work for you.
For more information, call 305-259-8600 or 786-525-1504, go to <www.linedriveperformance. com> or join <Facebook.com/LDPAthleticTraining>.
